Appraisal of the building maintenance management practices of Malaysian universities

• Main Authors: Olanrewaju , Abdul Lateef Ashola, Khamidi , Mohd Faris, I d r u s, A r a z i
• Format: Citation Index Journal
• Published: Palgrave Macmillan 2011
• Subjects: TH Building construction; HD61 Risk Management; TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.utp.edu.my/5674/1/jba20113a.pdf; http://eprints.utp.edu.my/5674/
• Institution: Universiti Teknologi Petronas

This article presents the results of a questionnaire survey conducted on the background information of an ongoing research. The article describes the characteristics, size and strategies of university maintenance departments. Questionnaires were administered on 50 university maintenance organizations. With a 66 per cent response rate, the fi ndings suggest that though the expenditure on maintenance is inadequate, poor management of the resource and maintenance services are also contributing greatly to the poor service delivery, the spate of maintenance backlogs and poor user satisfaction. On the basis of the outcomes of the questionnaire survey and a literature review, a schematic value maintenance management model is proposed for university maintenance organization. The maintenance department should be regarded as a business unit. The signifi cant impact it has on the university institution can be illustrated by reviewing it in terms of characteristics. It should be strengthened by including it as one of the university strategic business units. This will also make it more attractive and competitive. The department should not be seen as an engineering-led unit, but as a business-led unit so that it can be creative, innovative and competitive.